# New Kindles announced. What do you think? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107 "2012-09-08T18:14:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/41 "2012-09-09T18:59:15Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Do the ads really drain the battery life? I thought a static image on the e-ink screen used virtually no power. No, they don’t. The e-ink devices ONLY use power to change an image, not to maintain it. The ad that appears when you’re powered down is a still image and thus no different from the vaguely literary images that do (or at least did) appear on non-special offers kindles when they are powered down. Anyway, speaking of power I’m disgruntled that you will no longer be able to buy the “Touch” equivalent without front lighting, because surely lighting definitely does drain the battery. Feh! Feh, I say! ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/42 "2012-09-09T19:05:27Z")
Don’t you think there will be a way to turn the light off so you aren’t sapping the power when you don’t need it? If not, I agree with you entirely, Hello Again. One of the best things about the Kindle is how long the battery lasts. As a point of information here is a snipped from the PaperWrite page > [@](#): > > Uncompromised Battery Life > A single charge lasts up to eight weeks, based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless off and the light setting at 10. Our breakthrough power management technology allows you to leave the light on at all times for the best possible contrast without sacrificing battery life. I wonder how that compares to the Kindle Touch. Going by the writeup this doubles the amount of time that the standard Kindle can be used. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/43 "2012-09-09T19:25:00Z")
Thanks for the answers, everyone, with regard to the ads. > [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Anyway, speaking of power I’m disgruntled that you will no longer be able to buy the “Touch” equivalent without front lighting, because surely lighting definitely does drain the battery. Feh! Feh, I say! From the videos I’ve seen online, you can turn the Paperwhite’s light off and the screen will look similar to the grey screen of the Kindle Touch. The light can also be easily adjusted for varying levels of brightness. Even using the light, the battery life is supposed to be very good. Many reviews say that the screen looks so good with the light on that you’ll always want to read with it on. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/44 "2012-09-09T19:30:31Z")
The Paperwhite model looks cool. I want an eink reader. No big rush, though; my nook Color is still serving me fine. I wouldn’t buy a new Android tablet now, though. iOS and especially WinRT appeal a lot more to me. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/45 "2012-09-09T19:32:18Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Thanks for the answers, everyone, with regard to the ads. > > From the videos I’ve seen online, you can turn the Paperwhite’s light off and the screen will look similar to the grey screen of the Kindle Touch. The light can also be easily adjusted for varying levels of brightness. Even using the light, the battery life is supposed to be very good. Many reviews say that the screen looks so good with the light on that you’ll always want to read with it on. Darn you and your facts! I want to hate and fear change but you’re making it hard. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/46 "2012-09-09T19:34:33Z")
😛 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/47 "2012-09-09T19:37:30Z")
Regarding work loads on librarians and e-readers: Some people can read the instructions, figure out how to load books and read them. The SDMB is dominated by people with the required amount of brainpower. And then there’s everyone else. I have a BIL who can’t figure out how to change his Yahoo! password when it gets hacked. Even when I send him the links on Yahoo!'s help pages. (Actually, “_refuses_ to figure it out” is more accurate.) These people will be completely stumped by the simplest e-reader tasks and will demand aid from their local librarians to download and read the library’s e-books. So the librarians will have to learn how to operate a whole new batch of devices. They’ll have another wave of naive, new users, etc. This is not going to be a little thing to them. Of course, the real solution is to prevent the techo-twits from getting e-books in the first place and have them stick to plain books. But stupid people like throwing money away on cool gadgets whether they’ll be able to figure out how to use them or not. (Now a four-year old of today will know instinctively how to use one, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/48 "2012-09-09T20:00:57Z")
If I were a librarian, I would probably call that “job security.” ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/49 "2012-09-09T21:21:32Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I posted in [GQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=664806)about this. Yes, I do plan to get the KindleFire 4G when it comes out in November. I’ve got so many amazon rewards points saved up, by November it will be free for me. 😉 :eek: I never even thought about this! We’re a Nook family, but I’ve been kinda wanting a Kindle Fire for movies for a while. I didn’t realize I can get it free from my points! Thank you for reminding me! _skips off to Amazon_ ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/50 "2012-09-09T23:10:16Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Regarding work loads on librarians and e-readers: > > Some people can read the instructions, figure out how to load books and read them. The SDMB is dominated by people with the required amount of brainpower. > > And then there’s everyone else. > > … To be fair, currently checking out ebooks from your local library and getting them onto a basic e-reader is pretty far from intuitive. Maybe it varies from library to library, but to get a book from my local library onto my Nook Simple Touch, I have to check out the book on the library website, use one program to download the book, physically hook the Nook up to my computer (as opposed to wifi) and use another program to actually transfer the book onto the reader. ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/51 "2012-09-09T23:44:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Not that I own a Kindle–they’re just finally getting to what I think is the right price for the concept. > > And my objection to ads is not that they are intrusive. It’s that they are trying to manipulate me into buying something. Manipulating you into buying something is not just the intent of the ads, it’s the sole intent of the Kindle itself. The reason they’re getting to your “right price” is that Amazon sells the devices at a loss, knowing that you’ll be committed to buying content from them. As Jeff Bezos said last week, “We want to make money when people use our devices, not when they buy our devices.” Unless you’re willing to be a part of this simple economic model, Kindle is not the ebook reader for you. This goes for all the people who complain about ePub and other non-DRM support too. If you want a device that can read everything, don’t expect Amazon to subsidize your purchase. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/52 "2012-09-10T00:04:37Z")
Love my Kindle 3 and most of what they have eliminated I never used so the new versions look great. Pity about the reduction in memory but thats not a deal breaker. It sucks that I can’t pre-order from Australia yet. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/53 "2012-09-10T00:19:50Z")
I, for one, will miss the text-to-speech feature. Yeah, it sounds like a robot. But it’s a workable way not to have to put my book down when I’m at work. It also served me very well by reading me back lecture notes and semester reviews when I was a grad student. Nothing like having the Kindle read you back your notes for eight hours a day to really hammer that stuff into your head. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/54 "2012-09-10T02:47:14Z")
They are being a bit disingenuous with this claim of “8 weeks” of battery life. > **[Amazon.com: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite , 6-Inch, Wi-Fi, With Special Offers...](https://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Paperwhite-Touch-light/dp/B007OZNZG0)** > > Amazon.com: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite , 6-Inch, Wi-Fi, With Special Offers \[Previous Generation - 5th\] : Electronics “8 weeks” is based on reading only 30 minutes per day. That is just over 1 day of battery life, or 0.17 weeks, if measured in the conventional way (i.e. hours of sustained use, not how long you can let the thing sit essentially idle before the battery dies). Their comparison chart is very misleading as a result, because it compares their “8 weeks” of battery life (assuming 30 minutes of use per day), to the conventional battery life figures for other devices (which assume constant use until the battery dies, e.g. number for “smart phone” battery life is 4-13 hours). I expect better than this from Amazon. This is like a car manufacturer advertising 100 mpg gas mileage, with fine print stating it was measured on a downhilll slope with a tailwind. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/55 "2012-09-10T13:24:59Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > To be fair, currently checking out ebooks from your local library and getting them onto a basic e-reader is pretty far from intuitive. Maybe it varies from library to library, but to get a book from my local library onto my Nook Simple Touch, I have to check out the book on the library website, use one program to download the book, physically hook the Nook up to my computer (as opposed to wifi) and use another program to actually transfer the book onto the reader. This, exactly. And that’s if it all goes right. The program I downloaded from the library did not recognize my Nook, so I spent quite a while troubleshooting it. Through the power of Google I was able to figure it out, but I’m sure there are a lot of people who wouldn’t do that, they’d just bring it to the library and make them figure it out. A lot of people like my dad (who’s in his 60s) are getting ereaders and iPads now, and have no idea how to use them. I had to show him how to enter in a gift card. There’s no way he could get a library book on it without help. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/56 "2012-09-10T16:50:44Z")
> [@sco3tt](#): > > Manipulating you into buying something is not just the intent of the ads, it’s the sole intent of the Kindle itself. The reason they’re getting to your “right price” is that Amazon sells the devices at a loss, knowing that you’ll be committed to buying content from them. As Jeff Bezos said last week, “We want to make money when people use our devices, not when they buy our devices.” Which is horribly clever in that once you get so deep into their ecosystem you’ll be less likely to try a new tablet either way. One of the reasons I’m getting the HD is because I can easily watch my Amazon movies. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/57 "2012-09-10T23:35:48Z")
I had one on my wishlist even with the UK restrictions (not all versions are being released here, and they’re more expensive) until I realised they don’t do gmail. They’re tablets rather than e-readers; without gmail, they’re useless to me. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/58 "2012-09-10T23:41:45Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I had one on my wishlist even with the UK restrictions (not all versions are being released here, and they’re more expensive) until I realised they don’t do gmail. They’re tablets rather than e-readers; without gmail, they’re useless to me. They have an email client that connects to your gmail, hotmail, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/59 "2012-09-11T03:04:43Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > If I were a librarian, I would probably call that “job security.” Bit of a tangent, but this was the gist of a discussion I had with a guy working for a company selling server equipment. He argued that librarians would go extinct because of advances in computer technology, search engines, the internet, etc., and I argued that librarians are more than just people who dust the bookshelves off, they are information retrieval specialists who help others find the material they need for their needs. The job will just evolve like any other information job does. Really really tempted by the Paperwhite because of the screen light, but even with the abuse-by-neglect that I put my portable electronics through, my Kindle 3 is still soldiering on wonderfully. ---
**Author:** ![grama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@grama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grama)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107/60 "2012-09-11T03:57:20Z")
I pre-ordered, I already have a Kindle Keyboard that I gave to my father when I bought the KTouch. Now I’ll be selling the KTouch to pay for the paperwhite, the built in light sealed the deal for me, I usually read at night, and this will improve the experience quite a bit when reading in bed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-kindles-announced-what-do-you-think/634107.md?page=4)